Arts and human welfare painting unveiled
Light of Infinity. Watercolour by Weimin He 2022. Inspired by J.S. Bach’s The Goldberg Variations performed by Maki Sekiya
Human Welfare Conference 2022 co-chairs Midori Hosoda and Giada Portaluppi invited the conference speakers, panelists, and participants as well as current students to the unveiling event for the art piece commissioned from Artist-in-Residence Weimin He on Saturday 4 March.
The conference co-chairs had invited both Weimin and then-Musician-in-Residence Maki Sekiya to engage with the conference as panelists, voicing their unique perspectives as active agents in the artistic realm, and further working alongside the students to create a representation of how connections between art and various academic disciplines can be bridged. Maki’s piano performance at the conference provided inspiration for the final artwork.
Participants at the unveiling were first escorted to the Walton Building so they could view the commissioned piece now installed outside the library for themselves.
The co-chairs explained the premise of the 2022 conference, explaining how they wanted to integrate and emphasize the relevance of the arts within our academic disciplines: ‘Instead of merely writing out a summary of what the event entailed, this is an artistic representation of what the conference theme embodied and what interdisciplinary perspectives can be brought into discussion during similar future gatherings.’
A question and answer session followed in the Stables Bar with Weimin, who joined via Zoom from China. To close, the 2023 conference chair Austen Fisher spoke about the plans for the discussions on Monday 15 May on ‘Psychedelics: Revolution and renaissance in human welfare.’
In conversation with Maki Sekiya, Artist-in-Residence Weimin He joined remotely
Green Templeton’s annual Human Welfare Conference brings together leading graduate students, academics, and practitioners to engage with the specific challenges and opportunities of systematically improving human welfare in both academic and professional contexts. Encouraging collaboration between researchers from different backgrounds and disciplines, the conference explores new and comprehensive ways to tackle important issues relevant to human welfare.
Green Templeton is grateful to the donors whose support makes this initiative possible.
2023 conference chair Austen Fisher, 2022 conference chairs Midori Hosoda and Giada Portaluppi and past Musician-in-Residence Maki Sekiya with the painting
